Eternal Sunshine #166

March 2023

By Douglas Kent - 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX  75149

Email: dougray30@yahoo.com

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/270968112943024/ or on the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/.  Follow on Twitter at @EternalSunshDip.  Also be sure to visit the official Diplomacy World website at http://www.diplomacyworld.net. 

Sign up for the Eternal Sunshine Mailing List at https://mailchi.mp/45376bbd05df/eternalsunshine

Check out my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/dougsrarebooksandmore

 

Quote of The Month – “It won Roger. It tricked me. I didn't think it could, but it did. It's going to trick you too, Roger. This house knows everything about you. Leave while you can!” - (Aunt Elizabeth in “House”)

 

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, a zine which is about to sound its official death rattle.  Three more rounds of By Popular Demand after this one, and then we’ll be down to just Diplomacy (assuming it hasn’t ended) and Andy’s subzine.  As I said previously, I will continue to publish until both my games are done…and for as many additional months as are needed to wrap up Andy’s as well.

 

Meanwhile, this issue sees the unexpected birth of Mark Nelson’s new subzine “That Was the Year That Was.”  In each issue Mark examines the postal Diplomacy games that were run in the U.S. postal Diplomacy hobby.  #1 focuses on 1962, where there were no games…or were there?  You can find his subzine later in this issue, but if you want a more interactive pdf version (with links you can click on) you can download it here:

 

http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/mark/1962.pdf

 

I guess that’s it from me for now.  See you in April! 

Game Openings

No game openings, as the zine will fold when the currently-running games are completed.

 

Standby List: Current standby list who are qualified to standby in More Than Ever: Harold Reynolds.

 

Meet Me in Montauk

The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

 

Richard Smith: Quick comment on movies: I recently watched Idiocracy (2006) for the first time, and whilst it is funny it's also scarily prophetic. Well-educated people with high IQs tend to have less children, so a dumbing down of the human race is possible and may already be in progress!

 

[[I never found Idiocracy quite as funny as some people did.  But the idea of the film, and the context such as the dumbing down that you cite, was very funny.  I just didn’t think it was executed entirely successfully.]]

 

Mark Nelson: Did you mention that back issues of Everything had been scanned in and were available on the net? (That might have been in Diplomacy World).

 

[[I believe the full run – issues #1 through #97 – are posted by me in my Postal Diplomacy Zine Archive.  You can find it here: http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/kent/diplomacyzinearchive.htm .  There may have been issues after that one, I’m simply not sure.]]

 

This remind me of one of the last projects I was interested in before I lost all interest in hobby projects... I'd read that there was a special one-off zine that had collected all the results from the "early" days of the postal hobby. I asked the then BNC (was that Andrew York?) to photocopy it for me as well as early issues of Everything. I didn't do anything with these materials because I lost interest... and no longer have them. However, one of the problems was that the copies were pretty bad. That wasn't the fault of Andrew, it was just that the originals were in bad

shape. This meant that I often couldn't make out the names of the players and GMs.

 

[[The earlier BNC data was not printed in Everything.  Prior to 1969 the data was published in the BNC’s normal Dipzine – Graustark, Lonely Mountain, and sTab – and then Rod Walker started publishing Numenor which was the precursor to Everything.]]

 

Who has the BNC archives these days? Or, have they been lost?

 

[[Tom Howell is the current BNC and MNC, but hardly anyone uses those services now.  Tom still issued numbers and collects endgame reports, but hasn’t published those in what seems like forever.  I assume that’s simply because there’s no demand, and because the information is really pointless if 99% of games go unreported.  I have no idea what kind of zine collection he has.  Most collections were donated to Bowling Green, and some zines ended up being sent to me – my personal collection was destroyed by a flood when I was locked up.]]

 

Andy York: So, any Oscar predictions from you? I haven't seen all that many of them, and never got the chance to see the combined shorts releases (one each of Live, Animation and Documentary) that were running at the AFS Cinema. I did catch a few, and quite enjoyed them. I do think "Everything..." should run the board for the majority of the awards.

 

[[I’ve barely seen anything nominated.  But I can say that the near-universal praise I heard for Everything made me VERY suspicious that it was just a typical manipulated groundswell.  The kind of foolishness we’ve seen a lot of with the Oscars over the last five years.  However, in recent weeks a few people I actually trust – yourself included – makes me thing it might actually be good.  So I’m going to see it soon!]]

 

The Dining Dead – Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

 

Cunk on Earth (Netflix) – The return of Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk, investigative reporter extraordinaire, who asks confused and ill-informed questions of academic professionals.  This time around she’s tackling the history of human civilization, from the caves to social media and everything in between, over five episodes.  I have to say that while this series was very funny, it wasn’t nearly as funny as Cunk on Britain.  That’s less the fault of Morgan as it is the very broad range of topics they’re forced to cover in a short amount of time.  That, and I suppose the reactions are a bit less surprised now that many people know what to expect from Philomena. And, as you’d expect, any character seems less original over time.  At least we’re still treated to the exploits of her mate Paul.  It’s worth watching, obviously.

 

Why Don’t You Just Die? (DVD) – A Russian action-comedy film from 2018 which is, in its own way, like a bloodier, more violent Guy Richie film.  Think Snatch but with much more violence, complete with a few jumps in time for context.  Others have compared it to Quentin Tarantino, but I find the Richie comparison matches the vibe.  The story of a corrupt and violent policeman and the people who have reason to wish him harm…or at least suspect they do.  Made on a tight budget, this is not a movie for the squeamish.  But it’s a wild ride, if in the big picture a bit predictable or perhaps simply derivative.  Worth a watch if it’s your sort of thing.  I always loved Snatch, and to a lesser extent Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, so I was satisfied.

 

Night of the Zodiac (DVD) – An interesting microbudget independent film.  Meant to take place around 1997, and filmed to look like a shot-on-video horror film from that period.  A failed filmmaker is contacted by the Zodiac Killer - who has apparently relocated to the Detroit area during his “retirement” – because he wants a film made about him.  The gore is bargain-basement and corny, but the humor has its moments.  There are also some very nice Zodiac history references, for people who’ve read books on him like those written by Robert Graysmith.  There’s even a cipher at the end of the credits that if you solve you supposedly win a prize.  With that said, the last twenty minutes really dragged, but the rest was kinda fun…both because of my interest in Zodiac and because of the nostalgic effect of the video format.  But I doubt this is a movie most people would want to see.

 

Older Movies Watched (that I’ve seen before, sometimes many times) – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Twin Peaks (full series plus Fire Walk With Me).

 

 

Out of the WAY #54

by W. Andrew York

(wandrew88 of gmail.com)

 

 

Howdy!

As a brief follow-up to the Ice-pocolypse reported last issue, our complex is almost back in order. The arborists came through and cleared up the piles of limbs and trimmed many of the damaged/hanging branches still in the tree canopies. However, they’re coming back for a second pass as some were missed and a strong wind event cracked some damaged limbs that’ll now need to be taken down.

As for the City, the debris is mostly off the roads/bike lanes; however, there are still piles of limbs blocking sidewalks and filling the space between sidewalks and the road. It is expected that it may take up to another month to fully clear all the debris. Also, some downed wires still need to be removed that were apparently left/bypassed when re-energizing the lines and re-laying connections into buildings. It took about 10 days to get that done, with individual locations offline a bit longer as the ice pulled the electronical connections off some of the buildings and finding electricians in to fix the client-side infrastructure took time (everyone was busy!).

OwlCon was good, though a bit smaller than in the past. I’m not sure why, though I expect the loss of Friday night’s gaming might have had some effect. From what I gathered, there were a bit over 250 preregistrations with additional walk-ins. Games offered were the usual mix, but about 2/3rds the number of previous years. The games I ran were a person or two less than usual, but I’ve had similar numbers on occasion over the many years.

The games I played were decently attended, and a heck of a lot of fun! It was definitely worth going, especially as I was able to zip over to Beaumont for a day beforehand to visit a friend (hadn’t visited him at his place in quite some time). Unfortunately, next year’s OwlCon is a bit up in the air. The primary venue, the Rice University Student Center, is slated to be demolished and rebuilt starting next December. Hopefully they’ll be able to work around it and continue the con (this year was its 40th!).

Turning to this column, I’ve come to an agreement with the potential new host on timing, hosting, schedules and such. So, it is a go from that point of view. The biggest change would be, as noted before, that OOTW (or whatever name it ends up taking on) will be a stand-alone, downloadable, file much as you do with ES today. The other significant change would be a switch to a full-time 5-week schedule between issues rather than a once-a-month (2nd Saturday) publication.

The one sticking point (in my mind) is whether there’ll be enough readership and game participation after it moves. I expect I’ll pick up some folks from the host’s existing effort and Hangman/Facts in Five can continue with the usual handful of players. The most problematic would be the Gunboat game, and any future Dip games I’d offer. As there is only one available standby, any large-scale disinterest in the move would tank the game.

So, for those of you in that game or that are interested in playing Dip games now, or in the future, please provide me some feedback on whether you’d follow me to a new location or would rather stay under the ES umbrella until Gunboat is finished. This isn’t mutually exclusive, if there were enough folks to continue OOTW without Dip, that could move while the Gunboat game finishes under the current arrangement.

Also, for the rest of the readership, if I could have some idea on whether you’ll tag along or not I’d appreciate it. I won’t hold you to an ironclad agreement, just a general “Yes, I will”, “Likely Will”, “Likely Won’t” or a “Not Reading It Now, So Why Would I” type of feedback would be welcome. I expect to make the decision this month, based on how popular this move will be and if there’ll be enough readership.

Looking forward to a bit of SXSW here in Austin this year. Though I’m glad I’m not downtown for the madness, I am planning on going to a few events earlier in the day this weekend (a reception for Austin Film Society supported films and a “Sunday Service at Stubbs B-B-Q” – a fusion of legendary BBQ, Tech, Live Music and Faith). One musician I follow is having an off-SXSW performance that I might go to, and there are a number of other free events I might pop down to see. Also, I may try to get in a few of the films being screened at AFS Cinema.

By the next time this comes out, baseball season will be in full swing. Majors open on the 30th and AAA on the 31st (our Meet the Team party is that night). The Express’s schedule looks good this year, though it is loaded in the first half while in September there is only one home series. I’m also looking at heading up to Arlington for at least a couple games one weekend in July (step-brother from Michigan to fly down and a friend in San Angelo coming in to join us). Should be a fun year all-around (though I’m expecting the Astros to take it again this year…).

Hope everyone’s getting ready for Spring and don’t forget the time change first thing Sunday morning!

 

 

==================================

 

Letter Column

(always welcome, send them in!)

(if something shouldn’t be included here, clearly mark it as a personal comment)

 

[Robert Lesco] – By the criteria from your latest effort, the authors of THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S COOKBOOK, subtitled How Long Do I Cook A Three Minute Egg?, would be pleased to know that my copy is in such a state that it is held together by elastic bands. My mother gave it to me when I moved out on my own and I use it to this day. I find a lot of the recipes I copy from magazines or the newspaper assume a certain degree of expertise in the kitchen. This does not happen here. In turn, we bought a fresh copy for our son when he went to university.

                [WAY] – Sounds like an excellent book for the rookie in the kitchen. I checked and the author is from Alberta, but it may not be available as it looks like what could be ordered in the US is the 2002 3rd edition. Of course, it isn’t currently in stock, but has the “usually arrives in 7-10 days” label which, based on experience, should also have an “if available” included.

                [RL – later note] – Having said that, when using certain cookbooks, I keep them far, far away from the festivities in order not to stain them. I have a few off-beat cookbooks (Nero Wolfe, May Ann from Gilligan’s island to name but two) and I am proud to say that for the most part I have made use of nearly all. The exceptions are those recently acquired after reading Proust. These Bell Epoque recipes require far too much time and skill for my meagre talents and I have had little luck talking my wife into trying her hand at them.

                [WAY] – Someday, when you have some time to spare and nothing else to do, I’d encourage you to try some of them. You never know what you might end up with, and even if it doesn’t perfectly replicate the written recipe, it could well be something you want to try again. I’ve had a number of happy accidents when attempting a tricky dish (and some epic failures as well!).



===================================

 

Mini-Book Reviews

(finished since last issue)

 

Sharpe’s Assassin by Bernard Cornwell (2021; 320p).

 

                Cornwell revisits Sharpe once again, this time immediately after the Battle of Waterloo. The French army is in disarray and the road to Paris appears to be open, but hardline supporters of Napoleon are rumored to plotting to seek revenge on the Allies. Sharpe is sent to rescue prisoners held by the French, and presuming a successful raid, continue to Paris and find out the truth behind the rumors – derailing any plots.

                Meanwhile, Sharpe’s unit is given a new commander – one Sharpe has an old, and ugly, history with. He has to carry out his mission while worrying about his soldiers and trying to prevent that commander from tearing apart the unit’s morale. Juggling these competing interests, while navigating the intricacies of a city in turmoil, provides the challenge he needs to overcome. The story melds well with where things left off after Sharpe’s Waterloo (written 30 years ago), and is a worthwhile addition to the canon.

                Lastly, as I finished this one – thinking it is the last Sharpe book, I find out Cornwell is putting out another this fall! Something to look forward to, though I might not wait for fall of 2024 for the paperback and may spring for the hardback copy (at $30 though….). [February 2023]

 

 

===================================

 

Babylon 5 Quote

 

In “Midnight on the Firing Line” – Ivanova: “You’ll excuse me, but I’m in the middle of fifteen things, all of them annoying.”

 

Source: But In Purple...I’m Stunning! by J. Michael Straczynski, edited by Sara “Samm” Barnes, copyright 2008.

 

 

===================================

 

Game Section

 

Everyone Plays Games: Hangman, By Definition; Facts in Five

 

Game Openings: None currently

 

Standbys: Gunboat Diplomacy (x1)

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Round Rock Express”

(No-Press Gunboat, Game #1)

MN: 2021Crb32

 

Note – I made a major faux pas last time in adjudicating the turn, totally missing that, due to France’s move of A bur-MAR,

BUR was opened up for England’s dislodged A Bel to retreat into. I didn’t become aware of the error until it was too problematical to notify all the players and allow them ample time, if needed, to adjust their moves. Therefore, the retreat in Summer 1907 is the only move reported this time. Orders are on file for all players and will be used unless revised. Apologies to all.

 

Summer 1907

 

England: A bel-BUR

 

Positions at the End of Summer 1907

 

Austria: F GRE, A TRI, A BUD, A RUM, A BUL

England:  F KIE, F MAO, F SPA(SC), F ENG, F EDI, A BUR

France: A MAR, A PAR, A BRE

Germany: F NTH, A BEL, A TYL, A MOS, F NWY, A UKR, A HOL, A VIE, A GAL, A MUN, A RUH, A BOH

Italy: F CON, A SEV, A VEN, F AEG, F PIE, A TUS, F ION

Turkey: F ANK

 

Supply Center Count

 

Austria: Tri, Ser, Gre, Bul, Rum                                                                                     

England: Edi, Lpl, Lon, Por, Spa, Bel                                            

France: Mar, Par, Bre                                                                        

Germany: Ber, Kie, Mun, Den, Hol, Swe, War, Mos, Stp, Vie, Bud, Nwy

Italy: Nap, Rom, Ven, Tun , Smy, Con, Sev                                                  

Russia:                                                                                                                  

Turkey: Ank                                                                                                        

Neutral: none

 

Next Due Fall 1907

 

Note – Split seasons are granted when 2 or more requests are received if 4+ players; 3 or less requires only 1.

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

Hangman, By Definition

 

**See Rule Change in bold below**

 

This is a five-round game, with each round consisting of a variable number of turns. The winner will be the person who wins the most rounds, with a tie breaker being fewest total number of turns in those winning rounds. Second tie breaker will be the greatest number of letters guessed (by total count revealed, not by individual letter).

 

Each round will consist of identifying a word of at least six letters. Along with each word will be the first definition given. All words and definitions will be identified by blank spaces. Words and definitions are verified in a dictionary that was my high school graduation gift (slight hint to those who might want to find the edition).

 

The goal is to guess the word in as few turns as possible. Each turn, all players will submit up to three different letters to be revealed. The letter submitted by the most players will be the letter revealed in the next turn. Ties will be broken by a randomized method. Additionally, each player should submit a guess for the word. Once the word is correctly identified (spelling is important), that round will end and a new round will begin. All players who guess the word in the same turn will share in the win for the round. If the word is not guessed by the end of six turns with no letter being revealed, no one will win the round.

 

Along with revealing letters in the word, letters will be revealed in the definition. There are no bonus points for guessing any part of the definition, it is only there to help players figure out the word. No guesses about parts of the definition will be confirmed or displayed except by the letter revealed in that round. The letters “E” and “S” can never be chosen as the letter to be revealed.

 

Game 2, Round Three Turn 1:

 

                Letter Votes: A – 3; C – 2; D – 1; F – 1; L – 1; N – 3; O – 1; R – 3; S – 1; T – 3; W – 1    

 

Revealed: N (dice roll decision with d4)

 

                Words Guessed:   Contrition (Firth); Anticipate (Galt); Adjuration (Kent); Contention (Lischett);

 Yellowlegs (Maslen); Accusation (Smith); Laboratory (Wilson)

 

    Solution:

 

                Word:     __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __ (10)      

 

Definition:             __ (1)  __  __  __  __  __  N  __ (7)  __  __ (2)  __  __  N  __ (4)  __  __  __  __  __  N  __ (7)

 

                                                                __  N (2)  __  __  __  __ (4)

 

                Never Revealed:  E, S                         Already Revealed: N

 

Game Words Correctly Guessed: Metamorphosis (Firth, Maslen, Smith, Wilson); Chromatic (Firth, Maslen, Smith)

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

                                                                        FACTS IN FIVE

 

Rules:     There will be five rounds, the cumulative high score at the end of the fifth round will be the winner. Anyone may join anytime with a starting score matching the lowest total from the previous round. Anyone missing a round will add the lowest score of that round.

                Each round will consist of five categories and five letters.  Each player submit may an entry for each category which has a key word that starts with each of the letters (twenty-five total entries). Key words are generally the first word; however, articles (the, a, etc.) and modifiers (“red” in red bicycle for “R” in “mode of transportation” or “general” in General Lee for “G” in “Military Leaders”) are not key words. A word in the category may not be the key word (“bank” in “Bank of America” for “B” in the category “Banks”). For given names, the last name is the key word, if married it will be their post-marriage last name. However, in the case of commonly used stage names, that name should be used (in a category of female singers, ”Q” could be “Queen Latifa” and “Cher” for “C”). An entry may only be used once per round. Please clearly identify which individual you are using as your answer if there are multiple potential people with a given name. For instance, if the category is American Presidents, answering Washington is fine as there is only one; however, if you decided to use Bush you need to indicate whether you are submitting the father or the son. Unclear answers will be matched to score the least points. Using the Bush example, if one person submitted “Bush” and three people submit “George W. Bush” the latter would score 2 points and the former 1.

                One point will be scored for each entry that unarguably meets the letter and category. An additional point will be added if anyone else also uses the same valid entry for the same category. Maximum possible score in a round is 50 with a lowest possible score of 25, presuming an individual submits a valid entry for each category and letter in that round.

                Research is allowed, collaboration between players is not.

 

Game Seven, Round One

 

Bolded - Scores 2 points for matching another entry; Crossed Out - scores 0 points; otherwise scores 1 point.

 

REMINDER - Last names are generally the key word, not first names.

 

NOTE: There was some feedback on last time’s “Asian Food Dish” responses, specifically on the submissions of “Falafel” and

“Asparagus”. In short, my responses to them were:

 

Falafel – though it is a dish from the continent of Asia (the Middle East specifically), it is considered a Middle Eastern

or Mediterranean dish rather than an Asian dish

                Asparagus – it is an ingredient in a number of Asian dishes, not an Asian dish specifically by itself. The example

I was provided of “Asian Stir-Fried Asparagus” would have been accepted as that is the name of the dish, with

asparagus being the primary ingredient.

 

                Also, in doing the above follow-up, I found an error in my scoring. In the “A” category, one response was “Braised

Abalone”, which is a valid Asian dish. However, it should have been disallowed as it began with a “B” rather than the

correct letter. Fortunately, it made no difference in the final rankings for the game.

 

 

                                                B                             I                              J                              R                             S

 

Fuels

    Mark Firth                        Bitumen                Ice                          Jet                          Rushes                   Shell

    Doug Kent                        Butane                   ISO 15971            Jobber                    Remix Fuel           Sterno

    Andy Lischett                  Butane                   <>                           <>                           <>                           Sterno

    Walt O’Hara                    Biodiesel               Inferno Fuel          JP-5                        Rubber Seed Oil   Sulfohydrocarbon (C3-C88)

    Kevin Wilson                   Biodiesel               <>                           Jet Fuel                 Recycled Fuel       Sunshine (Solar)

 

Human Body Part

    Mark Firth                        Breast                    Ischium                 Jaw                        Rectum                  Sternum

    Doug Kent                        Brain                     Intestine                Jowl                        Rib                         Stomach

    Andy Lischett                  Back                      Ilium                      Jaw                        Rotator Cuff         Stomach

    Walt O’Hara                    Bone                      Intestines              Jaw                        Ribs                        Skin

    Kevin Wilson                   Brain                     Intestines              Jaw                        Retina                    Stomach

 

Prehistoric Animal

    Mark Firth                        Brontosaurus      Ichthyosaurus     Juravenator          Rugops                  Stegosaurus

    Doug Kent                        Brachiosaurus      Iguanadon            Jobaria                   Raptor                   Stegosaurus

    Andy Lischett                  Brontosaurus      Ichthyosaurus     Jeholodens            Repenomamus     Sabre-Tooth Tiger

    Walt O’Hara                    Bothriolepis          Icaronycteris        Jamna                    Raptor                   Saghacetus

    Kevin Wilson                   Basilosaurus         Ichthyosaurus     Jaxatosaurus        Riojasaurus          Sabre-Tooth Tiger

 

Article of Clothing

    Mark Firth                        Bodice                   Ice Skate               Jerkin                     Rugby Shirt           Stetson

    Doug Kent                        Boot                       Ice Skate               Jersey                    Raincoat               Sock

    Andy Lischett                  Belt                         Igal/Iqal                Jersey                    Robe                      Sweater

    Walt O’Hara                    Boots                     Insoles                   Jacket                    Raincoat               Shirt

    Kevin Wilson                   Bra                         Izod                        Jeans                      Robe                      Socks

 

Musical Instrument

    Mark Firth                        Bongo                    Ieta                         Jug                         Recorder              Sousaphone

    Doug Kent                        Bassoon                Ikembe                  Jew’s Harp          Recorder              Snare Drum

    Andy Lischett                  Banjo                     Irish Flute            Jew’s Harp          Recorder              Saxophone

    Walt O’Hara                    Bongos                  Indian Banjo        Jew’s Harp          Recorder              Saxophone

    Kevin Wilson                   Banjo                     Irish Flute            Jug                         Recorder              Saxophone

 

Note – for allowed and disallowed answers, please feel free to correct me!

 

General Notes –

 

Notes on Mark’s Answers: Ice is discounted as the only reference to using “ice” as a fuel is methane hydrate, also known as

“Fiery” or “Flammable” Ice, ice as itself doesn’t appear to be a fuel – note, ICE also stands for Internal Combustion

Engine and I found a reference to ICE Fuels – fuels that run those engines, not as a fuel in and of itself; Ieta is disallowed as I can’t find any musical instruments by that name

Notes on Doug’s Answers: ISO 15971 is disallowed as it is a standard used to determine or measure the calorific value of fuels,

not as a fuel in and of itself; Jobber is disallowed as it is a term for a businessman who is a reseller of fuels (middle-

man) rather than the product itself

Notes on Andy’s Answers: Regarding Igal/Iqal Andy notes – also sometimes spelled “agal”. The chord worn by Arab men to

hold on the ghutrah head cloth. I have a collection of hats and my aunt brought me this from a trip to the Middle East in

the 1970s. In another note, he comments - I almost chose “igil” for an I instrument due to its similarity to “igal”, but

“Irish Flute” should get more points [WAY] – and it did!

Notes on Kevin’s Answers: Sunshine/Solar is disallowed as, though it is a power source, it is not a fuel [something consumed];

Izod is disallowed as it is a brand of clothing, not an item of clothing on its own

 

General Player Comments:

 

[Mark Firth] – Notice that I know what the FiF categories are this time. Go on, then! [WAY] – hopefully you’ll find the next

                            round’s categories also to your liking…

 

[Kevin Wilson] – Surprisingly tougher one in some categories. [WAY] – I suppose it depends on your background and interests,

there were quite a few prehistoric animal entries that were brand new to me while the clothing one was easy to score.

 

Game Seven, Round Two

 

Letters:                  G             H             L             N             V

Categories:            Businesswoman; Constellation Name; Chemist; Musical Movie; Australian City

                                               

Current Standings

 

Scores by Category             1st           2nd         3rd          4th          5th          Now                        Previous                 Total     

   Doug Kent                          5            9             7          10              7           38         +                  0        =                38

   Kevin Wilson                     5            9             7           6           10           37         +                  0        =                37

   Andy Lischett                    4             7             8           7           10           36         +                   0        =                 36

   Walt O’Hara                       6            8             6           7             9           36         +                  0        =                 36

   Mark Firth                            5            6             8            6              7           32         +                   0        =                 32

 

 

===================================

 

Deadline for the Next Issue of Out of the WAY:

 

April 5, 2023 at noon Central US Time Zone

See You Then!

 

Game entries, letters of comment and other material can be sent to:

 

                wandrew88 at gmail.com; or by post to: W. Andrew York; POB 201117; Austin TX 78720-1117

 

 

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

 

Diplomacy, “More Than Ever”, 2021A, F 07

Austria: Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com – F Aegean Sea Supports A Bulgaria,

 A Bohemia Supports A Venice – Tyrolia, A Budapest Supports A Rumania, A Bulgaria Hold,

 F Mid-Atlantic Ocean – Brest, A Rumania Hold, A Serbia Supports A Rumania, F Smyrna Hold, A Vienna - Galicia.

France: Brad Wilson - fullfathomfive675@gmail.com –

 F Liverpool heads to Goodison Park to help cheer on Everton (Holds),

 F London Supports F English Channel - North Sea, A Marseilles – Gascony,

 F North Atlantic Ocean - Norwegian Sea (*Bounce*), A Venice - Tyrolia.

Germany: Andy York – wandrew88@gmail.com - F Baltic Sea - Gulf of Bothnia (*Fails*),

 A Berlin - Prussia (*Fails*), A Denmark - Sweden (*Bounce*), F English Channel - North Sea,

 A Finland Supports F Norwegian Sea - Norway (*Cut*), A Munich Supports A Silesia,

 F Norwegian Sea - Norway (*Fails*), A Silesia Supports A Berlin - Prussia (*Cut*).

Russia: Graham Wilson - grahamaw@rogers.com – Retreat A Liverpool – Yorkshire, A Rumania - Sevastopol..

 F Black Sea Supports A Sevastopol – Rumania, A Constantinople - Bulgaria (*Fails*),

 F Edinburgh - Norwegian Sea (*Bounce*), F Gulf of Bothnia - Finland (*Fails*), A Livonia - St Petersburg,

 F Norway - Sweden (*Bounce*), A Prussia Supports A Warsaw - Silesia (*Cut*),

 A Sevastopol - Rumania (*Fails*), A Ukraine Supports A Sevastopol – Rumania, A Warsaw - Silesia (*Fails*),

 A Yorkshire - Liverpool (*Fails*).

 

A/F/G Draw Fails

Now Proposed – Concession to Austria, A/F/G, A/G.  Please vote.  NVR=No.

 

Supply Center Chart

 

Austria:            Brest, Budapest, Bulgaria, Greece, Naples, Rome, Rumania, Serbia,

Smyrna, Trieste, Tunis, Vienna=12                                                       Build 3 (Only Room for 2)

France:             Liverpool, London, Marseilles, Portugal, Spain, Venice=6                      Build 1

Germany:         Belgium, Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Kiel, Munich, Paris, Sweden=8       Even

Russia:             Ankara, Constantinople, Edinburgh, Moscow, Norway, Sevastopol,

St Petersburg, Warsaw=8                                                                     Remove 3

 

PRESS

 

Moscow – Madrid: Thanks!

 

MADRID to MOSCOW: We are listening.

 

Deadline for W 07/S 08 is April 8th at 7am My Time

By Popular Demand

 

The goal is to pick something that fits the category and will be the "most popular" answer. You score points based on the number of entries that match yours. For example, if the category is "Cats" and the responses were 7 for Persian, 3 for Calico and 1 for Siamese, everyone who said Persian would get 7 points, Calico 3 and the lone Siamese would score 1 point. The cumulative total over 10 rounds will determine the overall winner. Anyone may enter at any point, starting with an equivalent point total of the lowest cumulative score from the previous round. If a person misses a round, they'll receive the minimum score from the round added to their cumulative total. In each round you may specify one of your answers as your Joker answer. Your score for this answer will be doubled. In other words, if you apply your Joker to category 3 on a given turn, and 4 other people give the same answer as you, you get 10 points instead of 5. Players who fail to submit a Joker for any specific turn will have their Joker automatically applied to the first category. And, if you want to submit some commentary with your answers, feel free to. The game will consist of 10 rounds.  The score for Round 10 is doubled.

 

Turn 7 Categories:

 

1. A type of knot.

2. An animal you see in a zoo.

3. A difficult High School subject.

4. A defensive NFL Football position.

5. A superhero movie.

 

 

Joker category shown in BOLD.  Most popular answer shown in the bottom row.

Brad Wilson gets the top score of 24 this round (out of a possible 29).  Paul Milewski gets the low score of 7. 

 

Comments by Category:

 

A type of knot: [[GM Note – Reef knots and square knots are the same thing.  I chose to list all those answers under the term square knot, since that’s the name I learned the knot under.]]  Brad Wilson – “If I thought there were more Deadheads here I'd answer Slipknot to No 1.”  Kevin Wilson – “Knots? A crapshoot although square is the most basic (I think). I guess I should ask my Boy Scout son. Do they still do knots?”

 

An animal you see in a zoo: David Burgess – “It's not really a zoo without a lion.”  Kevin Wilson – “I just like giraffes.” 

 

A difficult High School subject: Andy Lischett – “Ay, caramba! Give me math over Spanish any day!”  Brad Wilson – “No. 3 could be physics or chemistry but I went with what was hardest for me.” Kevin Wilson – “While calculus wasn’t even offered in my high school, both my kids have taken it.  And while my daughter struggles more with statistics than calc, calculus just seems a reasonable answer.” 

 

A defensive NFL Football position: Andy Lischett – “I'm not a football fan but have heard the term "nose tackle" and correctly deduced that it must be the guy in the middle (what else would "nose" signify?) on defense, since the guy in the middle on offense is the center. Carol figured it out the same way after I shot down (via the internet) her first answer: "fullback".” Kevin Wilson – “IMO the line backer is THE defensive position. So much depends on it.” 

 

A superhero movie: Andy Lischett - “Batman may not qualify as a superhero, but I'm stuck with him because my personal rules don't allow changing an answer after asking Carol for hers.”  [[He certainly does qualify, but of course you have many different movies featuring him to choose from.]]  Brad Wilson – “I see very few superhero movies but the first Superman is quite good. Love Ned Beatty and "Otisburg".”  [[“It’s a very small place, Mister Lu-tor!”  Beatty’s performance was vastly underappreciated.]]  Kevin Wilson – “So many superhero movies to choose from but Endgame was one of my favorites.  Likely answers may be something more basic, going back to origins, like Iron Man I or Superman or others but I am a fan of the MCU so will stick there.” 

 

General Comments: None.

 

By Popular Demand

Turn 8 Categories – Remember to Specify a Joker Category

 

1. Another word for laugh.

2. Something you do in the bathroom.

3. An SCTV cast member (if you don’t know, go look it up).

4. Something you put milk in.

5. A Cary Grant movie.

 

Deadline for Turn 8 is April 8th at 7am My Time

Deadline for the next issue of Eternal Sunshine is: April 8, 2023 at 7am My Time (U.S. central time) – some games and subzines earlier